Angst ist der Schlüssel

This is a formula movie, make no mistake. It is an action-adventure, with a mystery, so I won't spill the plot. It begins with the same male hero we see in all movies made after 1940, a man so vicious and mean that the movie's idea is to turn your thinking around about the guy. And after the first few minutes you think "There is no way this guy could ever be anything but a punk", and they "getcha"! A very wonderful turnabout. The character in the movie is the key, and the screen writing, directing, and acting are superb. It maybe the only movie that you ever see that changes your mind about a character from the start, and maybe the best example of a movie which does so. What is extraordinary is that this movie has never resurfaced, and never got the credit it deserved. The end is one of the best Hollywood endings ever since "Charade".

Now, I know that action/adventure movies based on Alistair MacLean novels usually require a large portion of suspension of disbelief, but "Fear is the Key" is extra far-fetched! A grieving man stages an entire criminal career, including a spectacularly violent escape from the court room with murder and hostage-taking, only so that he can infiltrate as a salvage expert into a gangster squad that wants to retrieve a valuable loot from a sunken airplane. Don't worry if it sounds too convoluted or incomprehensible, as the film is easy to follow and very entertaining.

There are three main reasons why "Fear is the Key" is a class above the vast majority of contemporary adventure/mystery thrillers. #1: the chase. A film that features a nearly 20-minutes-long car chase with, behind the wheel, Barry Newman, the same cult-movie stunt driver as in the legendary "Vanishing Point"? Yes, please! Excellent Louisianan filming locations, too. #2: the cast. The aforementioned Barry Newman is cool, as always, but particularly the bad guys impress. Sure, he's typecast, but nobody depicts a loathsome villain like John Vernon does. The film also stars a young Ben Kingsley, and he's truly awesome as a silent but deadly menacing hired killer. #3: the climax. I guarantee that "Fear is the Key" has one of the most intense, captivating and edge-of-the-seat suspenseful endings you'll ever see.

Drawn from Alistair McLean's book of the same name this is a solid thriller that twists and turns nicely throughout. Barry Newman is good as Talbot, the character who finds himself drawn into shady dealings. While the mobsters are adequate (including an early appearance by Ben Kingsley!).

The twist are good but if you've read the book it really takes away from the movie as there is not a whole lot else to hold the interest. However the twists keep you guessing what people's motives are almost up till the end - having said that it's not in the league of Se7en or Usual Suspects so don't expect too much.

The ending is a strange anti-climax to the film, I won't give it away but it is rather muted considering the plot up till that point.

Overall a good story but let down by a lack of any real extended tension and a disappointing conclusion. Turn off the TV and go and read the book - it's much better!

FEAR IS THE KEY is an unusual and somewhat low key thriller of the 1970s. It's based on a novel by Alistair MacLean that I should imagine few people have heard of, and it stars Barry Newman of VANISHING POINT fame. I was surprised to find out that this is a UK production because you wouldn't be able to tell from watching it. The fact that it was a flop on release means that I'd never heard of it before I saw it showing on TV.

The film begins with an electrifying opening, full of twists, sudden violence, and high speed action. Then we get a lengthy, well-shot car chase clearly included to capitalise on Newman's reputation as a 'car chase' actor, before the movie settles into a rather bogged-down, if not confusing, storyline. However, there seem to be sudden eruptions of violence around every corner, so it's never less than watchable.

Eventually, though, it all makes sense, leading to a climax with an interesting setting. Newman is an acceptable hero but I was particularly excited to see Euro-starlet Suzy Kendall's (THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE) appearance. The by rote villain duties are provided by John Vernon, but the real standout is an incredibly youthful Ben Kingsley - yes, complete with his own head of hair - as a henchman. By the end of its running time, FEAR IS THE KEY has offered up plentiful action, some convoluted plotting, and just a few decent twists, and I thought it passed the time well for what it is.

I was browsing the commentary track on the DVD release of Soderbergh's movie *The Limey* where he and screenwriter Lem Dobbs are talking about Barry Newman and movies with cool chases... Lem Dobbs just so happens to mention his fondness for "Fear is the Key" and it's cool car chase sequence, etc., Once I hear the words "movie" and "cool car chase" in the same sentence my interest automatically goes through the roof... as there is nothing better I like than a movie with a cool car chase in it. I ask all my friends if they've heard of the movie and no one, and I mean NO ONE I know has ever even heard of the movie. When I was at Tarantino's 4th Annual Film Fest I asked him about the movie and he hadn't even seen it (though he just had gotten a print of it). So here for this huge period of time was this movie I had been building up and dying to see...

Well at last I finally got to see it (as I found a place that was legit and sold copies of it) and was not let down in the slightest though I will say the last 5 minutes of the movie has one of the most original and intense endings I've ever seen. The movie is worth watching for seeing a tour de force performance by Barry Newman, the very very gorgeous Suzy Kendall (whom was also in Torso), and a pre-Gandhi Ben Kingsley (with hair), a very electrifying and long car chase that is one of the coolest car chases I've ever seen in a movie, and the last 5 minutes which just sucks you in and makes you forget your watching a movie... I mean the ending just literally has you on the edge of your seat. This movie is also a must for any Alistair Maclaine fans since it was based on Alistairs novel of the same title.

The movie starts out slowly and your not quite sure where it is going to go. It drifts along for the first couple of minutes and then *BAM* it takes off like a bat out of hell and never slows down until the credits roll at the end. It is one of those few action/adventure movies where you aren't quite sure what is going to happen next, which way it will twist, nor are you really sure of the intentions or alliances that any of the characters... it just literally takes you on a wild ride of adventure and intrigue.

The car chase sequence which goes on for quite some time (like around 10 minutes or so) is just one of the all time coolest car chases you will see in a movie. I mean it's not on the level of the French Connection, or Bullitt, or the all out craziness of The Master Touch... but it is cool in it's own unique way of sorta of throwing out the usual movie rules cliche that you can only have a car chase on a road. In this movie if a car is coming down the road right at Barry Newman... he doesn't try to hit it dead on or try to out maneuver it on the actual road... he is like forget that and takes off into the woods, forest or beach or whatever is around him... you get the sense he'd take his car through a supermarket or a iceberg if he had to. Which makes the scene electrifying with movie coolness.

I would talk about the ending more but... sigh... it just is so unique and surprising... it would be a huge injustice to say anything other than it was my favorite part of the movie and I'm surprise a James Bond film hasn't ripped it off yet.

Barry Newman shines John Talbot and puts on a tour de force type of performance that is so friggin good and cool! You rarely ever get such a cool acting performance in a action/adventure type movie... yet Barry Newman here shows why he was one of the best and coolest actors of the 70's and even today!

I will say I just loved loved Suzy Kendall in this movie. Of course she is just gorgeous but I mean she made the most of her role, whereas with other actresses they could have just completely walked through the role with blandness with zero effort. I had previous seen Suzy in the movie Torso so I was already a big fan of her work.

Alistair Maclaine who wrote the novel to which the movie is based on is known for full throttle engaging novels full of adventure that once they get into gear they grab a hold of you until the very end. You can chalk this one as another one of Alistair's novels that was made into a great movie (Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare, are some of the other and more well known).

So I am very thankful now to Lem Dobbs who inspired me to see this fine flick and hopefully now I can spread that onto others now to see this forgotten but great movie.